


Waiting It Out For You

by ethnofiction



Series: We Were Here [3]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Fluff, IM, Long Distance Relationship, M/M, protect him at all costs, ryuji is a soft boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18727054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethnofiction/pseuds/ethnofiction
Summary: It had only been a month but Ryuji’s suspicions had been confirmed.  Long distance relationships were hard.





	Waiting It Out For You

**Author's Note:**

> This fic follows the previous 2 fics in the series but they aren’t required reading for this. 
> 
> This takes place one month after the end of Persona 5 with Ryuji and Akira coming to terms with being in a long term relationship.
> 
> Unbeta’d and I’m publishing this at 3:30am so I apologise for any typos.

It had only been a month but Ryuji’s suspicions had been confirmed. Long distance relationships were hard.

Sure he and Akira had only managed to spend like a day together and yes, they had only been apart for a few weeks but living in different cities SUCKED. It didn’t help that contact with Akira had been limited to instant messaging chats twice a week with the occasional text message in-between thanks to their schedules. They had tried video chatting once before but an interesting conversation between Akira and his parents the next day had made them realise that Akira’s bedroom gave him almost zero privacy. Thankfully they hadn’t been talking about anything serious but it ruled out the possibility of anything more.

He glanced at the dumb Featherman clock that had been hanging on his wall for as long as he could remember. 10:10pm. Akira was late.

Ryuji knew that Akira was a busy guy. Even though they didn’t live in the same city anymore and they didn’t have as many opportunities to talk, Ryuji was sure that Akira would still be living a pretty crammed lifestyle. When he was still in Tokyo and he wasn’t busy saving the world, Ryuji knew that Akira was working at least 3 jobs on top of hanging out with everyone, all whilst acing exams.

Akira had told Ryuji that his parents had enrolled him in a cram school and had hired tutors so he had had no free time left for himself if he actually wanted to get something that somewhat resembled a full nights sleep every night. Ryuji didn’t know that much about Akira’s parents but from the bits and pieces of information he had heard, he had guessed that they were working him hard. They were both professionals and it seemed like they anticipated similar results from Akira.

At 10:21, a chime played from the instant messaging app indicating that Akira had finally signed in. Ryuji waited for a couple of minutes to pass before opening a chat window and typing a greeting; he didn’t want to seem TOO excited. He had to play it cool. Apparently.

 _Ryuji: hey man!_  
_Akira: Hi. Sorry I’m late. My parents thought it would be good idea to hire a tutor for a couple of hours on Saturday nights and he doesn’t know when to leave. Have you been waiting long?_  
_Ryuji: nah don’t worry about it. I just got here too._

Ryuji didn’t really want to own up to the fact that he had been laying around his room watching the clock for the past few hours. He had made the mistake of coming clean with his feelings to Ann whilst they had been having lunch earlier that day. He hadn’t really meant to or wanted to but she has this way of getting information out of people. Before he knew it, Ann had all the details of his feelings towards Akira. Sure she had known that they were a thing and yeah, she already knew that Ryuji hadn’t really been with anyone before Akira so he probably had it pretty bad for him but it turned out that she didn’t realise how far gone he was. This meant that what was supposed to be a quick trip for sushi after Saturday classes turned into a 3 hour relationship masterclass with Lady Ann: Romance Expert. Apparently he needed to learn to ‘keep it real’ and he couldn’t let Akira know how much he wanted to see him for some reason he didn’t quite understand.

 _Akira: How has your week been? Good?_  
_Ryuji: it was fine. Kinda boring but I cant complain. Anns been helping me study English every day after school since I failed super hard last year so I took her for food today. She makes it look so easy dude!!_  
_Akira: I’m sure you’re doing great. You just need to remember that she’s been speaking it for years and you’re pretty much starting from scratch. How are you doing with everything else?_  
_Ryuji: Good! I think lol. I’m tryin at least so that’s sumthin. Already told my boss at the store that I can’t work shifts for a couple of weeks before exams. Gonna try my best for once_  
_Akira: I know. I’m really proud of you y’know <3_  
_Akira: I can’t wait to see your results. It’ll all pay off._

Even though he had made the decision to try harder in school for third year, Ryuji had also come to the conclusion that college just wasn’t for him. He didn’t really see the point in getting into a whole bunch of debt over something he didn’t even really care about to begin with. He had spent weeks finding the courage to tell his mom and he totally thought she was going to kick his ass over it but she told him that she was going to support him no matter what he chose to do which in turn just made him feel bad for doubting her in the first place. Mom’s are weird.

So the plan for right now was graduate high school with the best grades he could and then just see where that takes him. Akira had mentioned coming back to Tokyo for university and Ryuji couldn’t help but imagine them moving into a tiny little apartment in the heart of Shibuya together with Akira going to classes every day and Ryuji working wherever would have him to help pay rent. Working retail wasn’t so bad. He could pick up more shifts at the convenience store to help pay bills.

Ryuji’s head slid out of his left hand where it had been resting and dramatically thumped down onto his desk.

“Why am I like this? It’s been a month and I’m already pretending that we’re gonna spend the rest of our lives together. I gotta get a hold of myself.”

 _Ryuji:  u gotta stop that. All this praise is gonna go to my head._  
_Akira: You deserve it. I’d never say anything I didn’t mean._  
_Akira: Especially not to you._

Ryuji could still feel the heat burning in his cheeks. He was supposed to be the delinquent punk, the tough kid your parents wouldn’t want you to be friends with so how did Akira manage to turn him into an actual puddle of goo?

_Ryuji: yeah yeah whatever man. last thing I need is an ego boost  
Ryuji: thanks tho man. its cool to know that someone actually feels that way even when I don’t believe in myself haha_

The whole reason Ryuji had been looking forward to tonight’s chat with Akira was because he was hoping he would finally find out if he would be able to make it back to Tokyo for Golden Week. He didn’t want to seem too eager and jump straight in with the questions about Akira coming back but he really needed to know.

_Ryuji: Hey did you get a chance to speak to ur mom+dad about coming back?  
Akira: Yeah… I’m really sorry but I don’t think it’s gonna work out._

“Great. You got excited over nothing, idiot.”

 _Ryuji: so it’s def a no then? Ur not gonna be able to come bk for golden week?_  
_Akira: Doesn’t look like it. Apparently I can’t afford to waste my time ‘socialising and fooling around’ when I could be studying for exams. My parents are sure that all I did last year was slack off._  
_Ryuji: THEY WOULDN’T EVEN KNOW! Pisses me off man. U work harder than anyone._  
_Akira: I could work all day and all night and it still wouldn’t be enough. If I’m honest with you coming home has been totally exhausting._  
_Ryuji: hey._  
_Ryuji: be careful._  
_Akira: I’m trying my best. The only thing that’s going to get me through this year is getting into college and finally moving away from them for good._  
_Akira: They’re not bad people but they just have no idea when it comes to actually having kids._  
_Ryuji: man we gotta get boss to adopt you or somethin. Coffee dad >regular dad lol_  
_Akira: Haha yeah_  
_Ryuji: well what if I came to see u?? I got a little bit of cash left over from last year so I could come out there and hang out with u for a couple of days!_  
_Akira: I don’t think that’s a good idea._  
_Ryuji: Aw ok. It was just an idea. Doesn’t matter anyway._

“Great job, Ryuji. Way to kill the conversation! ‘M such a loser…”

Ryuji sat staring at the chat window for a couple of minutes, praying that Akira would change the topic to something a little less awkward. Part of Ryuji had thought that dating someone you had spent the past year being best friends with would help him skip over the whole ‘this person is all I think about and I want to be around them all the time’ phase but no, he was right there in the middle of it. He had always thought that crushes were for dumb guys and that people made a bigger deal out of relationships to try and make single people jealous but that was before he fell for Akira. He was the dumb guy. Fuck.

 _Ryuji: I just kinda miss u a little I guess. Feels like forever since we saw each other and I know it was only like 4 weeks ago and I know I’m being super lame._  
_Ryuji: it’s just_  
_Ryuji: it’s hard y’know?_  
_Ryuji: u wanna know what I was worrying about a couple nights ago? I started getting all paranoid like ‘what if we forget what we look like???’ (⊙＿⊙)_  
_Ryuji: God I’m so STUPID_  
_Ryuji: sry man. I’m rambling over here._

Pushing his chair away from his desk, Ryuji let out a sigh and let his body slide down his computer chair.

 _Akira: Check your phone._  
_Akira: Nyan._  
_Akira: I miss you too._

“N… nyan?”

Ryuji rolled his chair over to the small nightstand next to his bed where his phone had been charging. Sure enough there was a notification from Akira on his home screen. He pushed the notification to open up the messaging app and couldn’t hold in his laugh when he saw what Akira had sent to him. Akira had taken a selfie using one of those apps with the cutesy filters. He had a blanket draped around his shoulders, his two hands up at his face balled into fists to mimic paws, and a filter on top of all of that giving him a pair of pointy ears and a long set of whiskers.

“God. Why am I love with a total dork?”

Ryuji lightly traced an outline of Akira’s face on the screen of his phone, mimicking the way his thumb had brushed Akira’s cheek whilst they kissed the night before he left. Sometimes he wonders how he had made it through that whole year with Akira and not realised how ridiculously attractive he was.

 _Ryuji: hey man plz don’t make fun of me for this_  
_Akira: Huh?_  
_Ryuji: I just think you’re really cute ok??_  
_Akira: Why would I make fun of you for that?_  
_Ryuji: Ann told me I should keep cool and all it takes is for u to send me a pic with cat ears and now I’m over here losing my damn mind!!_  
_Akira: Ryuji._  
_Akira: I’m your boyfriend._  
_Akira: I’m happy that you think I’m cute. I think you’re cute too. You’re kind of expected to be attracted to the person you’re dating. Don’t stress._  
_Ryuji: I just don’t want you to think I’m lame. Dumb right??_  
_Akira: Don’t worry about it. We can be dumb/lame together <3_  
_Ryuji: so_  
_Ryuji: uuuuuuuuuuuh_  
_Ryuji: do u want a pic of me???_  
_Akira: I’d love one but only if you don’t mind. My phone needs a new wallpaper._  
_Ryuji: WALLPAPER???_  
_Ryuji: not cool dude. U should warn a guy._  
_Ryuji: wat if someone asks you about the pic? I wouldn’t know how to cover it up if that were me man._  
_Akira: I tell them it’s my cute boyfriend????_  
_Akira: sorry I want to put my cute boyfriend on display ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

Not knowing how to even respond to that, Ryuji got up from his chair and unplugged his phone from where it was charging next to his bed and brought it back over to his desk.

“It’s just a selfie, Ryuji. You’ve done this a million times before.” Ryuji flicked on the small lamp next to his computer to give himself some better lighting than the glow of his PC monitor. “Don’t stress. Don’t stress. Don’t. Stress.”

Ryuji stared at himself in the screen of his phone and he aimed the front camera at himself. His hair had gotten longer since Akira had left and his black roots were starting to come through. He could just barely see dark circles starting to form below his eyes too; a result of picking up extra shifts at the convenience store and actually giving a shit in school. He pushed on the screen to take the picture before he could find anymore faults and quickly text it over to Akira before he could change his mind.

 _Ryuji: there. check ur messages._  
_Ryuji: the lighting sucks and I look like f’in ass but it’s the best I can do. not all of us can pull off the effortless look like u can. I can try sending you another pic tomorrow once I’ve showered and I actually look like a real human being haha_  
 _Ryuji: i hope you like it_

Ryuji’s phone began vibrating against his desk as an incoming call came in. He let it go on for a few seconds whilst he tried to find the nerve he needed to answer the call.

“Hey, man. I wasn’t expecting you to call. Are your mom and dad not home?”

“I love you.”

“Duuuuuuude. Don’t do this to me.”

Ryuji stood up from the chair at his desk and threw himself onto his bed, landing face first into his pillow. Text and pictures had been hard enough to cope with but hearing Akira confess down the phone was almost enough to make Ryuji’s head explode.

“It’s true. Look, you know I can’t really talk for long because my parents are gonna want to know what I’m doing but I just had to call. I had to hear you.”

Ryuji was somewhat relieved to hear that Akira sounded equally frustrated as he had been feeling for the past few weeks. He was so used to Akira being the strong character out of the two of them so hearing him like this reminded Ryuji that Akira was actually human.

“You can call me whenever you want, Akira.” Ryuji tried his best to sound as supportive and caring as Akira had been for him. “I’m always here for you.”

“I know we had agreed to the IM chats and texts but do you ever feel like words aren’t enough? Text words, I mean.”

“Yeah, man. I get it. It’s weird like, I know that I’m still talking with you through texts and on the computer and whatever but it sometimes just doesn’t feel real or something…” Ryuji’s response trailed off as he struggled to think of what else to say. “Gah! I’m shit at explaining this. Sorry man.”

“No! I get it. I feel the same way.”

“So did ya like it? The pic I mean!” Ryuji had stopped to allow Akira to respond but began to panic talk again before he got the chance. “I know it’s not great but I can def try and take a better one tomorrow. One where I don’t look like total garbage. I’m gonna go to the store and get the stuff to bleach my hair. I gotta clean myself up a little, maybe get a haircut too.”

“You look amazing.”

“Wha?”

“You’re perfect. You don’t need to do anything to your hair. You can if you want to but you look great.” Akira went oddly silent for a few seconds, debating on whether or not he should say what he was going to say next. “I think you’re hot. Really hot.”

“Fuck, man. You too.” Ryuji brought his free and up and began running it through his hair in order to keep his hands busy. “I need to see you. I really really miss you.”

“Soon. I promise. If they don’t let me come then I’ll just sneak out. They can’t stop me.”

“I wish you were here right now.”

“Me too. Shit…”

The line suddenly went dead and Ryuji stared at his phone. He opened the app with his contacts but before he could call Akira back, a text came through from him.

_Hey I’m sorry but I can hear my parents walking around outside my room so I had to go. They say they don’t care but it seems pretty clear that they do. I’ll live a normal life one day. Well, I’ll try to at least.  
I meant it though. I love you and I can’t wait to come back and see you. Don’t forget about me._

_Sleep well  
Akira x_

Ryuji reached over to his desk and turned off his lamp and jammed in the off button on his PC and rolled back into his bed. He read over Akira’s text a few more times and took a screen shot of it too (just in case he accidentally deleted the chat). He hit the reply button.

_Don’t worry about it. I’ll wait as long as it takes._

_Love  
Ryuji_

Ryuji placed his phone back on his nightstand and turned over in his bed, head still full of thoughts from tonight’s conversation. He knew it wouldn’t be long until they’d be together again but until then they would have to make do with the IMs and the occasional picture.

Picture.

He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his phone for what he swore would be the last time that night. He scrolled through his text log with Akira until he found the dumb cat selfie he had sent and smiles, pushing his blushing face into his pillows and blankets even though no one can see him.

**Use as wallpaper?  
WALLPAPER UPDATED**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!!
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism always appreciated ❤️


End file.
